The Indian Standard presents Volume 4 Issue 1 with Summer Solstice: a publication surrounding the concept of Duty, how this ideal plays a role in our lives today & how desire fuels our fire. This issue works to break down the term duty & the heavy connotation surrounding this term. We root it back to the Bhagavad Gita and offer perspective to show how we may be misguided on where our duty lies.  

We understand collectively that dreams and goals are important and that striving to work toward them and ultimately achieving them brings the utmost fulfillment. However, is this your duty? Is your duty and purpose so known to you that you can package it into whatever business you're creating, whatever interests you are pursuing, the path you are on? Or is your purpose to smile every day, feel the sun when you go on walks, and hug your family and friends closely?

We may be overcomplicating the concept of duty and perhaps it isn’t our pursuits where our duty lies, but rather the joy we receive from doing such actions. Perhaps our duty is to be happy, love others, and be grateful for our lives. Perhaps it's choosing peace, happiness, and love with and without the success of our earthly goals. This issue features violinist Skanda Sriganesh along with Shevya Awasthi, Rhea Shetty, Slesha Patel, Outer Voice’s JAM & Philly, and many more. Together, they discuss what their duty is to themselves and South Asian culture - proving the very phenomenon that answering the question, “What is my duty?” is as difficult as “Who am I?”